Thelma Schoonmaker

Infobox Actor
name = Thelma Schoonmaker


birthdate = birth date and age|1940|1|3
location = Algeria
spouse = Michael Powell (1984-1990)
academyawards = Best Editing
1980 "Raging Bull"
2004 "The Aviator"
2006 "The Departed"
baftaawards = Best Editing
1980 "Raging Bull"
1990 "Goodfellas"

Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January fy|1940) is an American 3-time Academy Award-winning film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese for over thirty-five years. She has edited many of Scorsese's films, such as "Raging Bull", "The Aviator," "Goodfellas", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "The King of Comedy", "After Hours", "Casino", "Gangs of New York" and "The Departed" and the documentary "The Last Waltz". Schoonmaker has received six Academy Award nominations, and has won three times (for editing "Raging Bull," "The Aviator," and "The Departed").

Schoonmaker was married to director Michael Powell from 19 May fy|1984 until his death in fy|1990. Since his death Schoonmaker has been dedicated to preserving the films and honoring the legacy of her husband, who directed many classic films, including "The Red Shoes". [http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,7hghlrfw,00.html iVillage Entertainment - "The Last Temptation of Thelma: Scorsese's editor just keeps going and going" by Lan N. Nguyen] ] [http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/thelma.1103.dea.html "Cornell University - "Thelma Schoonmaker '61 to talk movies Nov. 19 at Cornell" By Daniel Aloi] ] ] She was introduced to Michael Powell by Martin Scorsese and London based film producer Frixos Constantine. Schoonmaker and Powell were married for six years until Powell's death in 1990. [http://www.timeout.com/film/news/659.html 9/26/2005 "Thelma Schoonmaker Q&A" - The TOMB Movie News - Time Out Film - Chris Tilly] ]

Background

Thelma Schoonmaker's father Bertram was employed as a clerical worker by the Standard Oil Company and worked abroad. [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ] She was born in Algeria to American expatriates and raised in various countries, including on the Dutch-Caribbean island of Aruba. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0774817/bio IMDB bio - Thelma Schoonmaker] ] [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ]

Schoonmaker did not live in the United States until she was a teenager in 1955, and was initially alienated and dumbfounded by American culture. [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ] Schoonmaker was interested in a career in international diplomacy and began attending Cornell University in 1957, where she studied political science and the Russian language. (She attended classes taught by Vladimir Nabokov.) When she graduated from Cornell in 1961, she began taking State Department tests in order to apply for positions in the U.S. government. [http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/thelma.1103.dea.html "Cornell University - "Thelma Schoonmaker '61 to talk movies Nov. 19 at Cornell" By Daniel Aloi] ] ] [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ] Being politically inclined and opinionated, Schoonmaker expressed distaste for the South African policy of apartheid, a stance which didn't sit well with those administering the State Department tests. [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ] [http://www.timeout.com/film/news/659.html 9/26/2005 "Thelma Schoonmaker Q&A" - The TOMB Movie News - Time Out Film - Chris Tilly] ] In reaction to this experience, Schoonmaker switched gears and began taking a course in primitive art.

At that point, she saw an employment advertisement in "The New York Times" which sought an "assistant film editor" to which she responded and got the job. The job entailed assisting an "editor" who was randomly cutting frames from classic European films, (such as those by François Truffaut, Jean Luc Godard and Federico Fellini), so that their length would conform to the running times of U.S. television broadcasts. [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ] Although she was revolted by the callousness of the editor's methods, Schoonmaker nonetheless picked up important technical skills, including negative cutting.

Schoonmaker signed up for a brief six-week course in filmmaking at New York University (NYU), where she came into contact with budding young filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who was struggling to complete his film "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?" A negative cutter had butchered his film, not leaving enough negative frames to allow for hot splicing. One of her film professors asked Schoonmaker to help Scorsese; a close working relationship with him has unfolded over the past thirty-five years. [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow] ]

At NYU Schoonmaker also met director Michael Wadleigh and later edited his influential music festival documentary, "Woodstock". Her first major film editing work on "Woodstock" garnered Schoonmaker an Academy Award nomination for Best Editing. Her careful use of superimpositions and freeze frames brought the performances in the film to life, and added to the movie's wide appeal, thus helping to raise the artistry and visibility of documentary filmmaking to a new level. [http://www.hollywoodawards.com/schoonmaker/index.html "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Editing Award Honoree - THELMA SCHOONMAKER"] ]

Despite her obvious skill and talent, the early period of Schoonmaker's career was difficult; joining the Motion Picture Editors Guild has always been challenging, and the film industry generally has been a restrictive boys club. [http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,7hghlrfw,00.html iVillage Entertainment - "The Last Temptation of Thelma: Scorsese's editor just keeps going and going" by Lan N. Nguyen] ] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0774817/bio IMDB bio - Thelma Schoonmaker] ] Consequently, there was a twelve-year gap between her work on Scorsese's student films and her Oscar-winning work on his masterful "Raging Bull".

Nonetheless Schoonmaker helped to shatter some film industry glass ceilings, and has amassed an impressive list of film editing credits. "Variety"'s Eileen Kowalski notes that, "Indeed, many of the editorial greats have been women: Dede Allen, Verna Fields, Thelma Schoonmaker, Anne V. Coates and Dorothy Spencer." [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117855804.html?categoryid=1013&cs=1 (Editor) "Tina Hirsch" By Eileen Kowalski - Variety 11/14/2001 (subscription)] ]

Quote(s)

* "You get to contribute so significantly in the editing room because you shape the movie and the performances," she says. "You help the director bring all the hard work of those who made the film to fruition. You give their work rhythm and pace and sometimes adjust the structure to make the film work ‑- to make it start to flow up there on the screen. And then it's very rewarding after a year's work to see people react to what you've done in the theater." [http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,7hghlrfw,00.html iVillage Entertainment - "The Last Temptation of Thelma: Scorsese's editor just keeps going and going" by Lan N. Nguyen] ]

* "... Editing is a lot about patience and discipline and just banging away at something, turning off the machine and going home at night because you're frustrated and depressed, and then coming back in the morning to try again." [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969221.html?categoryId=2160&cs=1 Variety interview] ]

elected filmography

As film editor

*"Woodstock" (fy|1970)
*"Raging Bull" (fy|1980)
*"The King of Comedy" (fy|1982)
*"After Hours" (fy|1985)
* "Bad" (fy|1987) Michael Jackson music video
*"The Last Temptation of Christ" (fy|1988)
*"New York Stories" (fy|1989) segment "Life Lessons"
*"Goodfellas" (fy|1990)
*"Cape Fear" (fy|1991)
*"The Age of Innocence" (fy|1993)
*"Casino" (fy|1995)
*"Gangs of New York" (fy|2002)
*"AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Robert De Niro" (fy|2003) (TV)
*"The Aviator" (fy|2004)
*"The Departed" (fy|2006)

Other credits

*"The Kids Are Alright" (fy|1979) (special consultant)
*"Woodstock" (1980) (assistant director & editor)

Academy Awards and nominations

*fy|1971 - "Woodstock" (nominated) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing
*fy|1981 - "Raging Bull" (won) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing
*fy|1991 - "Goodfellas" (nominated) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing
*fy|2003 - "Gangs of New York" (nominated) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing
*fy|2005 - "The Aviator" (won) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing
*fy|2007 - "The Departed" (won) Academy Award - Best Achievement in Film Editing

Other awards and nominations

*fy|1981 - "Raging Bull" (1980) (won) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film
*fy|1982 - "Raging Bull" (1980) (won) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*fy|1984 - "The King of Comedy" (1982) (nominated) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*fy|1991 - "Goodfellas" (1990) (nominated) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film
*fy|1991 - "Goodfellas" (1990) (won) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*fy|1993 - "Cape Fear" (nominated) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*fy|1992 - Gotham Below the Line Award (won)
*fy|1996 - "Casino" (1995) (nominated) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film
*fy|2000 - Hollywood Film Festival - Hollywood Film Award (won)
*fy|2003 - "Gangs of New York" (2002) (won) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
*2003 - "Gangs of New York" (2002) (nominated) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*2003 - "Gangs of New York" (2002) (won) Satellite Awards Golden Satellite Award Best Film Editing
*fy|2004 - "AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Robert De Niro" (2003) (TV) (2004) (nominated) Emmy Award - Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
*fy|2005 - "The Aviator" (won) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
*2005 - "The Aviator" (nominated) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*2005 - "The Aviator" (won) Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Sierra Award - Best Editing
*2005 - "The Aviator" (nominated) Satellite Awards Golden Satellite Award Best Film Editing
*2005 - "The Aviator" (nominated) OFCS Award - Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Editing
*fy|2007 - "The Departed" (nominated) American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie - Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic
*2007 - "The Departed" (nominated) BAFTA Film Award - Best Editing
*2007 - "The Departed" (nominated) OFCS Award - Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Editing
*2007 - Made an honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University

Notes

External links

*
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=110346 New York Times - "Thelma Schoonmaker" credits / brief bio]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5069962 Fresh Air interview with Thelma Schoonmaker]
* [http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=340 "Thelma Schoonmaker: A Personal Journey with Scorsese and Powell" By Jonathan Marlow, GreenCine.com, October 6, 2006]
* [http://www.timeout.com/film/news/659.html Time Out interview]
* [http://members.aol.com/morgands1/closeup/text/cfthelm2.htm Wide Angle / Close Up interview]
* [http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/ace_2004_oscar_nominees.htm "American Cinema Editors - "2004 Oscar Nominees Discuss their Craft" By William Kallay]
* [http://www.coolidge.org/node/267 2007 Coolidge Award Thelma Schoonmaker - The Coolidge Corner Theatre]
* [http://entertainment.ivillage.com/features/0,,7hghlrfw,00.html iVillage Entertainment] "The Last Temptation of Thelma" by Lan N. Nguyen
* [http://www.hollywoodawards.com/schoonmaker/index.html "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Editing Award Honoree - THELMA SCHOONMAKER" August 2000]
* [http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/thelma.1103.dea.html Cornell University (news)] "Thelma Schoonmaker '61 to talk movies Nov. 19 at Cornell" By Daniel Aloi
* [http://movies.go.com/thelma-schoonmaker/f1059223 Movies.com: Celebrity Profile - Thelma Schoonmaker]
* [http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/schoon.1201.dea.html "Scorsese's film editor, Thelma Schoonmaker '61, talks of 'Raging Bull' and Michael Powell"] By Daniel Aloi - Cornell University